Sony’s The Interview—a film declared “an act of war” by North Korea—earned $1 million Christmas day with sold-out showings attended by enthusiastic Americans. One particular L.A. screening featured a surprise appearance from the film’s co-directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who thanked fans for supporting the controversial film.

After Sony reversed course and decided to release the film in select theaters, Americans flocked to the screenings, attendance of the film having taken on a symbolic importance concerning the freedom of speech and artistic expression. The Huffington Post reports that a 12:30 a.m. screening in L.A. was joined by the film’s two directors:

Co-directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, who also co-stars in the low-brow comedy with James Franco, surprised moviegoers by appearing at the sold-out 12:30 a.m. PT (0830 GMT) screening of the movie at a theater in Los Angeles, where they briefly thanked fans for their support.

Only opening in about 300 independent theaters, the film was able to rake in nearly $1 million on Christmas. The film was also offered in the U.S. by several online providers, including Google Play, YouTube Movie, Sony, Xbox Video and by Sony and Google in Canada. The numbers from online sales are not yet available.

As for the reviews: the film has scored an unimpressive 50% so far on Rotten Tomatoes, with the “critics consensus” saying the film only offers “middling laughs.”